Shifters
Shifters, or ‘Weretouched’, are the citizens of the Theriomorphic kingdom of Ainya-Del’Ar in the jungles of Dissinia between the Dwarven mountains and the Great Coalish Desert. This kingdom was founded 3000 years ago by an order of Werewolf Monks who sought to create a place where creatures of a dual humanoid/bestial nature could live as masters. They originally set themselves up as noble overlords of a human workforce, but after generations of interbreeding the entire population had gained a portion of the Lycanthropic taint, and thus the race of Shifters was born. Now they are no longer second-class citizens in their homeland, though the pure-breed lycanthropes are still considered the high nobility, and small communities of Shifters can be found throughout the three Continents. Personality Shifter personalities are influenced heavily by their animal natures. Most Shifters are predatory by nature and think of most activities in terms of hunting, predator and prey. They tend to view survival as a challenge, striving to be self-reliant, adaptable and resourceful. Physical Description Shifters are basically humanoid in shape, but their bodies are exceptionally lithe. They often move in a crouched posture, springing and leaping while their companions walk normally alongside. Their features have a bestial cast, with wide, flat noses, large eyes and heavy eyebrows, pointed ears and long, shaggy hair. Relations Many other races feel uncomfortable around shifters, the same way they feel around any large predator. Orcs in particular seem to find Shifters infuriatingly off-putting. On the other hand, Woodlords seem to be more comfortable with Shifters than with members of other races, and Barbarians tend to show them greater respect than they would another. Alignment Shifters are usually neutral, viewing the struggle to survive as more important than moral or ethical concerns about how survival is maintained. Religion Shifters, suiting their animalistic nature, are often Nature worshippers. The Goddesses have a large following, however, and the Nobility officially endorses the reverence of the Virtues. Shifters sometimes adhere to a Principle, but they are usually found outside their homeland, where such a thing wouldn’t be understood. Names Shifters use the same names as humans, though often they’ve been altered into a more guttural or simplified form to better fit with the Shifter language, Fyarsk. Adventurers Shifters adventure for many reasons, the most common of which is a kind of wanderlust, often described in Shifter culture as a ‘need to challenge the whole world’. Racial Traits *'Ability Bonuses: '+2 Dexterity, + 2 Wisdom, -2 Intelligence, -2 Charisma. Shifters are agile and have heightened senses, but their fundamental bestial nature detracts from both their reasoning ability and their social interaction. *'Medium:' Shifters are medium creatures, and thus have no special bonuses or penalties from size. *'Normal Speed: '''Shifters have a base lands speed of 30 feet. *'Shapechanger Subtype:' Shifters are humanoids with the Shapechanger subtype. *'Shifting (su):' A shifter can tap into their lycanthropic heritage to gain a short burst of physical power. The Shifter enters a state that is superficially similar to a barbarian’s rage. Each Shifter has one of six shifter traits, characteristics that manifest themselves when a character is shifting. Each trait provides a +2 bonus to one of the character’s physical ability scores and grants some other advantage as well. Shifter traits are described below. *Shifting is a free action that lasts for a number of rounds equal to 3 + the shifter’s Con modifier (if a shifter’s trait or other effect increases the character’s Con modifier use the newly improved modifier). These rounds can be broken up as the Shifter desires throughout a day. Shifters can take feats that improve their Shifting ability as described in the Eberron Campaign Setting and other such books. Every shifter feat a character takes increases the duration they can shift by 2 rounds. *Shifting, though related to lycanthropy, is neither an affliction nor a curse. It is not passed on by bite or claw attacks, and a shifter can’t be cured, it is a natural ability of their race. *'Low Light Vision:' Shifters can see twice as far as humans in dim lighting *'Nimble:' +2 racial bonus on Acrobatics and Climb checks. A shifter’s animalistic heritage enhances many of their physical skills. *'Automatic Languages:' Common, Fyarsk, the Shifter language. Bonus languages: Regional languages, Elven, Gnome, Halfling and Sylvan. Shifter Traits Each shifter has one of the following traits, which is selected at character creation and cannot be changed. '''Beasthide' (Su): When shifting, a beasthide shifter gains a +2 to constitution and natural armor that provides a +2 to AC. Longtooth (Su): When shifting, a longtooth shifter gains a +2 to strength and grows fangs that can be used as natural weapons that deal 1d6 (+1 for every 4 character levels). She cannot attack more than once with her bite attack per round. Cliffwalk (Su): When shifting, a cliffwalk shifter gains a +2 to dexterity and climb speed of 20 feet. Razorclaw (Su): When shifting, a razorclaw shifter gains a +2 to strength and grows claws that can be used as natural weapons that deal 1d4 (+1 for every 4 character levels). She can attack with one claw as a standard action, or two claws as a full action. She cannot attack more than once with a single claw per round. Longstride (Su): When shifting, a longstride shifter gains a +2 to dexterity and +10 feet to their land speed. Wildhunt (Su): When shifting, a wildhunt shifter gains a +2 to constitution, the scent ability, and a +2 bonus to Survival checks. Category:Races